ABB to power first round-the-world solar flight

Zurich (Switzerland), April 6, 2014

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, said it will support Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg in their attempt to fly around the world in a solar powered airplane in 2015.

The first-ever flight through the night with a solar airplane as well as record-breaking missions across Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and the US brought worldwide attention to Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg with their Solar Impulse endeavor, demonstrating the enormous potential of clean technologies and showing how a pioneering spirit can achieve the impossible.

Now the Solar Impulse team is preparing for the ultimate technological challenge: to circumnavigate the globe in a plane powered only by the sun’s energy. On April 9, the team will unveil a new airplane, which will be used to attempt the round-the-world flight in 2015.

“This partnership brings together two Swiss-based global leaders that are passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation to achieve a better world,” remarked ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer.

"We believe in Bertrand’s vision, and we are convinced that by pioneering innovative technologies we will be able to decouple economic growth from energy consumption and environmental impact," he said.

"Today, ABB is a global leader for solutions to enable energy efficiency, sustainable transportation and renewables and like Solar Impulse we are always challenging the boundaries of what is technologically possible," he stated.

“It was my dream to have ABB as technology partner of Solar Impulse,” said Bertrand Piccard, initiator and chairman of Solar Impulse. “We have the same goal of improving the world by using energy more efficiently and conserving natural resources,” he noted.

“Solar Impulse and ABB are technology innovators and pioneers,” said Andre Borschberg, the co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse.

“We both want to motivate people to use clean technologies; ABB and Solar Impulse will work together on key technologies like power electronics for our mutual benefit,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service